I sat on the porch of the little countryside house Moreno had bought for us, watching Gustavo chase fireflies. His laughter rang through the air like music, untainted by the horrors we’d lived through. He was only two, blissfully unaware of how close we’d come to losing him.Moreno walked out behind me, his presence as grounding as the earth beneath my feet. He was different now lighter, though the scars on his arms and the shadows in his eyes told a story that would never truly fade.“You’re thinking too much,” he said, sitting beside me. His hand found mine, rough and warm.“Maybe,” I whispered, my gaze fixed on Gustavo. “Sometimes I wonder how we even survived it all.”He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Because I’d burn the whole world before I let it take you.”We didn’t talk about Mateo anymore. Some nights, I’d still wake up with his voice echoing in my dreams, and Moreno would hold me until the shaking stopped. But we didn’t let those ghosts stay. They had no pl
The wedding was a blur of white lace and suffocating silence. I felt nothing as Mateo slid the ring onto my finger my mind was elsewhere, screaming for freedom.Moreno’s face haunted me. I could still see the rage in his eyes as he walked away that day. It wasn’t defeat. No, Moreno never backed down. He did what he did to protect Gustavo. He’d come back.Days passed, each one heavier than the last. Mateo tightened his grip, turning the house into a prison. I wasn’t allowed to speak with anyone without his approval.“Smile more, Cupcake,” he would say, brushing my hair back like I was some porcelain doll. “You look prettier when you remember who you belong to.”Each time, I bit my tongue and smiled. I couldn’t afford to fight him head-on. Not yet.That night, while pretending to sleep, I overheard two of Mateo’s guards talking outside my door.“Do we tell him?” one whispered.“Are you crazy? Mateo will lose it. Losing the kid was bad enough,” the other hissed.My pulse quickened. The k
The car rolled to a stop in front of the estate Mateo had chosen for his sham of a wedding. Every corner of the building was draped in white flowers and golden ribbons, but all I saw was a prison. The moment we stepped inside, I noticed it a tiny teddy bear on the table near the entrance. My breath hitched.Gustavo.That was his teddy bear, the one he never let go of. My heart lurched as I whipped around to face Mateo.“Where did you get that?” My voice cracked despite my best effort to stay calm.Mateo’s smirk was poisonous. “Oh, I see you recognize it. Cute, isn’t it? Your little boy has good taste in toys. He’s safe for now depending on you.”The words slammed into me like a bullet, and I lost balance, unfortunately Mateo caught me. “What did you do?” I whispered trying to remain calm.“Nothing yet. But you’ve been sloppy, Bella. That secret passage you’ve been using? That’s how I found him. You think I wouldn’t notice your late-night disappearing acts?” He leaned close, his voice
I was locked in the room by one of Mateo’s men. The air felt heavier with each passing second, but I slipped into the bathroom, clutching the phone like my last lifeline, waiting for Sandra’s call. I didn’t even realize I had dozed off until a vibration buzzed in my hand, jolting me awake. I answered the call before the second ring.“We’re safe. Moreno is fine,” Sandra’s voice whispered urgently through the line. “He’s stepped out to make arrangements to come and get you. He said to tell you that he wants to end this, once and for all.”I nodded instinctively, forgetting she couldn’t see me. God, I wanted to speak to Moreno, to hear his voice just once, but Sandra was right we didn’t have the luxury of time. Every second we hesitated gave Mateo more power.After the call, I hid the phone under the bathroom sink and walked to the window, trying to calm my racing heart. Cars kept coming and going. Something was happening outside, but I couldn’t figure out what. The door flung open. I f
Immediately we got home, I immediately unbuckled my seat belt, but Mateo held my wrist firmly, I struggled to get away but he was too strong. “What?” I asked him. “Who did you meet?”I scoffed, “I thought you were powerful, why don’t you find out yourself? Let go of me you’re hurting me.” I said and he still didn’t loosen his grip on me. “Are you seeing another man Bella?” I laughed, at least it was better than finding out that I was meeting with Sandra. “What’s so wrong with me, I’ve been mourning my husband for a very long time, It’s time for me to think about my happiness. Don’t you think so too Mateo?”He looked at me and I almost got scared for a moment, I knew he was a horrible person but I hadn’t seen this dangerous look in his eyes before. I looked at the time on my phone to distract myself. In two hours, Moreno would be out of that hell and I wouldn’t have to pretend around this demon anymore. “Let me go,” I demanded. When he released my grip, I immediately left the car glad
TAINTED LOVE SEQUEL 13 BLACKMAIL BELLA Mateo successfully put me in a lockdown in my own house, it was driving me crazy that I couldn’t do anything about it, I needed to be calm to be able to think of a solution. I met with Maria and she reminded me that she told me to be wary of Mateo. “What do you plan on doing now?” She asked concerned. “I don’t know, this whole shit is driving me crazy,” I said as I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. I had to find a way to leave here, I wasn’t going to let Mateo have his way, I needed to find a way to meet with Sandra, and speak with Moreno so we could sort all this mess out. I went to my room looking for somewhere quiet that I could make a call. I didn’t know if Mateo had the house bugged. I just had to pray he didn’t. Just as I was in my thoughts with the phone in my hands I suddenly felt a vibration. It was Sandra, I quickly ran into the bathroom shutting the door and window. “Hello,” I said, my voice shaking. “Little one.” I paus